Helpful Charts
Charts:
The following tables have useful data for your Lean and Green portions. They are compilations of
data from the USDA, which you can look up for yourself at
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/. NS cites using the USDA database as their source
for nutritional information. If you ever want to know if an item would be legal on MF you can ask NS
(Nutrition Support) or you can look it up at the USDA site to get an idea of if it would be legal or not.
Nutritional Targets
If you’re eating your 5 MF meals a day, you’re getting all your vitamins and minerals. After that,
you’re basically targeting your calories/carbs (limiting them to keep yourself in ketosis), your
protein (to keep yourself from losing muscle mass) and fat (to protect your cardiovascular system).
Nutrition Support cites the following guidelines:
Item
Amount
Measure
Calories
800-1000
kcal
Protein
70-110
grams
Carbohydrates
85-100
grams
Fat
25-35
grams
It is, in fact, important to keep yourself above 800 calories and below 100g carbs in order to
maintain an efficient fat burning state. It is also important to get enough protein to protect your
muscles (including important muscles like your heart!)
Under 800 calories can cause your body to think it is starving. When your body comes to that
conclusion, it will become very conservative and slow down your metabolism to try and make your
fat stores last as long as possible. This will manifest in a DECREASE in your rate of weight loss.
This is counter-intuitive in that people associate losing weight with taking in less calories. However,
we’ve evolved over millions of years and during that evolution, our bodies have adapted to “feast
or famine”. When calories are abundant, our bodies will store them up as fat. When they’re scarce,
our bodies will try to stretch out whatever it has available so that it lasts as long as possible. The key
to an efficient fat burning state is to make sure your body realizes that it’s getting everything that it
really needs to survive long term. Part of that is the vitamins and minerals that are provided in the
MF meals and part of that is ensuring you’re getting enough calories to comfort your body that it’s
not in a situation where it’s starving.
Under 100g of carbs is the key to staying in FB. Your body will continue to burn fat for energy as
long as it doesn’t think it has enough carbohydrates to use as its main fuel source.
Of course, these numbers are based on the average human physiology and specific numbers may
vary. However, it’s very difficult to discern any one person’s tolerances for each of these numbers
and therefore these are given as a guideline.
If you have a lot of muscle mass or are a very active person, you may need to have a different set of
targets. It is best to discuss this type of specialized situation with your physician to ensure that you
get the adequate nutrition for your particular situation.
Raw Vegetable Serving Chart
Medifast has recommendations of 1 ½ cups of cooked vegetables or 2 cups of salad greens and ½
cup of other veggies to make a salad. It’s often difficult to gauge what the measure of a vegetable is
in terms of cups (try stuffing lettuce into a measuring cup without rendering it unappetizing, so
weight becomes a better measure. Here is a table that provides a convenient conversion as well as
the nutritional information:
Raw
Item
Calories Protein Carbs Fat
Cups Grams (kcal)
(g)
(g)
(g)
Alfalfa Sprouts
0.5
16.5
4.0
0.7
0.4
0.1
Asparagus
0.5
67.0
17.0
1.5
2.6
0.1
Broccoli (chopped)
0.5
45.5
15.0
1.3
3.0
0.5
Broccoli Raab (chopped)
0.5
20.0
4.0
0.6
0.6
0.1
Cabbage (chopped)
0.5
44.5
12.0
1.0
2.7
0.0
Cabbage, Red (chopped)
0.5
44.5
14.0
0.6
3.3
0.1
Cauliflower
0.5
50.0
16.3
1.3
3.4
0.1
Celery
0.5
50.5
8.0
0.4
1.5
0.1
Cucumber (peeled, sliced)
0.5
59.5
7.1
0.4
1.3
0.1
Cucumber (with peel, sliced)
0.5
26.0
4.0
0.2
0.9
0.1
Eggplant (cubed)
0.5
41.0
9.8
0.4
2.3
0.1
Green Beans
0.5
55.0
17.0
1.0
3.9
0.0
Green Peppers (chopped)
0.5
74.5
15.0
0.6
3.5
0.1
Red Peppers (chopped)
0.5
74.5
19.0
0.7
4.5
0.2
Yellow Peppers (chopped)
0.5
93.0
25.0
0.9
5.6
0.2
Collards (chopped)
0.5
18.0
5.0
0.4
1.0
0.1
Kale
0.5
33.5
17.0
1.1
3.4
0.2
Mushrooms (MF listing, an avg)
0.5
48.0
10.6
1.5
1.6
0.2
Oyster
0.5
74.0
26.0
2.5
4.8
0.3
Brown, Italian or Crimini
0.5
43.5
12.0
1.1
1.8
0.0
Enoki (sliced)
0.5
32.5
14.0
0.8
2.5
0.1
Maitake (diced)
0.5
35.0
13.0
0.7
2.4
0.1
Portabella (diced)
0.5
43.0
11.0
1.1
2.2
0.1
Shirataki
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
White (sliced)
0.5
35.0
8.0
1.1
1.2
0.1
Mustard greens
0.5
28.0
25.4
0.8
1.4
0.1
Okra
0.5
50.0
16.0
1.0
3.5
0.1
Onion (sliced)
0.5
57.5
23.0
0.6
5.4
0.1
Radishes (slices)
0.5
58.0
9.0
0.4
2.0
0.1
Scallions (aka green onions)
0.5
50.0
44.9
0.9
3.7
0.1
Salad Greens (cos/romaine)
2.0
94.0
16.0
1.2
3.1
0.3
Salad Greens (iceberg/crisphead)
2.0
144.0
20.0
1.3
4.3
0.2
Salad Greens
(butterhead/boston/bib)
2.0
110.0
14.0
1.5
2.5
0.2
Spinach
0.5
15.0
3.0
0.4
0.5
0.1
Squash
0.5
56.5
9.0
0.8
1.9
0.1
Summer (listing for "all")
0.5
56.5
9.0
0.7
1.9
0.1
Zucchini (with skin, chopped)
0.5
62.0
10.0
0.8
2.1
0.1
Crookneck/Straightneck (sliced)
0.5
65.0
12.0
0.6
2.6
0.2
Winter (listing for "all")
0.5
58.0
20.0
0.6
5.0
0.1
Butternut
0.5
70.0
32.0
0.7
8.2
0.1
Spaghetti
0.5
50.5
16.0
0.3
3.5
0.3
Acorn
0.5
70.0
28.0
0.6
7.3
0.1
Tomato
0.5
90.0
16.2
0.6
3.5
0.2
Cherry (whole)
0.5
74.5
13.0
0.7
2.9
0.2
Red (sliced)
0.5
90.0
16.0
0.8
3.3
0.2
Sun dried
0.5
27.0
70.0
3.8
15.0
0.8
Turnip Greens
0.5
27.5
9.0
0.4
2.0
0.1
Turnips (cubed)
0.5
65.0
18.0
0.6
4.2
0.1
The bolded, italicized entries in the table indicate values that are quite high in carbohydrates. They
are not necessarily recommended by NS, but they are included for informational value. If you are
monitoring your carbs and calories closely enough, you can use them and not throw yourself out of
FB. However, following the simplistic “½ Cup of a veggie in addition to your 2 cups of a salad green”
approach that is cited with the 5 & 1 plan should not include these items due to a higher
carbohydrate value.
Fat Free salad dressings that are less than 6 carbs for 2 T are acceptable. The Wishbone Salad
Spritzers are ideal for this as they distribute the dressing around rather than having it pool up in one
area…letting you use less of it overall while still getting dressing on every piece of the salad.
Cooked Vegetable Serving Chart
Cooked vegetables have a significant difference in size then raw vegetables. Specifically, you can
pack a lot more of a cooked vegetable into the same unit of volume (like a measuring cup) than you
can a raw vegetable. Therefore, the values for cooked vegetables differ than raw vegetables. The
following table indicates the method of cooking, volume, weight and nutritional information for
cooked vegetables:
Cooked
Item
Method
Alfalfa Sprouts
Cups Grams Calories Protein Carbs Fat
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
Asparagus
Boiled,
drained
1.5
135.0
30.0
3.2
5.6 0.3
Broccoli (chopped)
Boiled,
drained
1.5
117.0
33.0
3.5
5.9 0.4
Broccoli Raab (chopped)
Boiled,
drained
1.5?
51.4
17.0
2.0
1.6 0.3
Cabbage (chopped)
Boiled,
drained
1.5
225.0
52.0
2.9
12.4 0.1
Cabbage, Red (chopped)
Boiled,
drained
1.5
225.0
65.0
3.4
15.6 0.2
Cauliflower
Boiled,
drained
1.5
186.0
43.0
3.4
7.6 0.8
Celery
Boiled,
drained
1.5
225.0
40.0
1.9
9.0 0.4
Cucumber (peeled, sliced)
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
Cucumber (with peel,
sliced)
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
Eggplant (cubed)
Boiled,
drained
1.5
148.5
52.0
1.2
13.0 0.3
Green Beans
Boiled,
drained
1.5
187.5
66.0
3.5
14.8 0.5
Green Peppers (chopped)
Boiled,
drained
1.5
276.0
75.0
2.5
18.0 0.6
Red Peppers (chopped)
Boiled,
drained
1.5
276.0
75.0
2.5
18.0 0.6
Yellow Peppers (chopped)
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
Collards (chopped)
Boiled,
drained
1.5
285.0
74.0
6.0
14.0 1.0
Kale
Boiled,
drained
1.5
195.0
55.0
3.7
11.0 0.8
Mushrooms
(MF listing, an avg)
Boiled,
drained
1.5
234.0
66.0
5.1
12.4 1.1
Oyster
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
Brown, Italian or Crimini
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
Enoki (sliced)
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
Maitake (diced)
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
Portabella (diced)
Grilled
1.5
181.5
64.0
7.6
8.9 1.4
Shirataki
Stir fried
1.5?
217.0
104.0
7.5
16.7 0.8
White (sliced)
Stir fried
1.5
162.0
42.0
5.8
6.5 0.5
Mustard greens
Boiled,
drained
1.5
210.0
32.0
4.8
4.4 0.5
Okra
Boiled,
drained
1.5
240.0
53.0
4.5
10.8 0.5
Onion (sliced)
Boiled,
drained
1.5
315.0
132.0
4.3
30.1 0.6
n/a
n/a
Radishes (slices)
Scallions (aka green
onions)
n/a
Boiled,
drained
1.5
150.0
48.0
n/a
2.8
n/a
n/a
11.0 0.3
Salad Greens
(cos/romaine)
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
Salad Greens
(iceberg/crisphead)
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
Salad Greens
(butterhead/boston/bib)
Spinach
n/a
Boiled,
drained
Squash
1.5
n/a
n/a
270.0
n/a
n/a
62.0
n/a
n/a
8.0
n/a
n/a
n/a
10.1 0.7
n/a
n/a
Summer (listing for "all")
Boiled,
drained
1.5
270.0
54.0
2.5
11.6 0.8
Zucchini (with skin,
chopped)
Boiled,
drained
1.5
334.5
57.0
3.9
11.9 0.4
Crookneck/Straightneck
(sliced)
Boiled,
drained
1.5
270.0
54.0
2.5
11.6 0.8
Winter (listing for "all")
Boiled,
drained
or baked
1.5
307.5
120.0
2.7
26.9 1.9
Butternut
Boiled,
drained
or baked
1.5
307.5
123.0
2.8
32.3 0.3
Spaghetti
Boiled,
drained
or baked
1.5
232.5
63.0
1.5
15.0 0.6
Acorn
Baked
1.5
307.5
172.0
3.4
44.8 0.4
Tomato
"cooked"
1.5
360.0
65.0
3.4
14.4 0.4
Cherry (whole)
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
Red (sliced)
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
Sun dried
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
Turnip Greens
Boiled,
drained
or baked
1.5
216.0
43.0
2.5
9.4 0.5
Turnips (cubed)
Boiled,
drained
or baked
1.5
234.0
51.0
1.7
11.8 0.2
The bolded, italicized entries in the table indicate values that are quite high in carbohydrates. They
are not necessarily recommended by NS, but they are included for informational value. If you are
monitoring your carbs and calories closely enough, you can use them and not throw yourself out of
FB. However, following the simplistic “1 ½ Cup of a veggie” approach that is cited with the 5 & 1
plan should not include these items due to a higher carbohydrate value.
Lean Serving Chart
Item
Portion
Calories
Carbs
Protein
Fat
Beef Steak
5 oz
277.0
0.0
43.0
10
Chicken Breast
7 oz
220.0
0.0
45.0
2
Ground Turkey *
5 oz
333.0
0.0
38.8
18.6
Turkey Roast Dark 7 oz
371.0
0.0
56.7
14.3
Tuna
7 oz
275.6
0.0
59.4
2.4
Lobster
7 oz
194.0
2.0
40.0
2
Swordfish
7 oz
308.0
0.0
52.0
9
Scallop
7 oz
224.0
0.0
49.0
0
Crab
7 oz
191.0
0.0
37.0
2
*Ground meat (any ground meat, even turkey) is generally less healthy than unprocessed meat.
This is because when they grind the meat, they use fattier portions and it’s much less controlled.
This leads to juicer meat, but it’s that way because of the added fat. According to Nutrition Support,
97% lean ground turkey is okay to use, up to 5oz as long as you log it according to the nutritional
value on the package.
Meat Substitutes
Sometimes you simply may not want meat for your Lean or you may be a vegetarian/vegan. MF
accommodates this by allowing substitution for meat as cited in the following table where each row
constitutes 1 Lean portion:
Meat Subtitutes
Item
Low-fat Cheese
Eggs
Egg substitute
Qty
Measure
0.75-1 Cup
2 Each
0.5 - 1 Cup
Firm tofu
0.5 Block
Soft tofu
4x2 Inches
Low-fat cottage cheese
0.5-1 Cup
Boca burger
1 Each
Morning Star burger
1 Each
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
General Doctoring Options
Just looking at the Medifast (MF) program, it looks interesting and like something you could swing.
Once your on it, though, you may look for ways to vary your menu. There’s a bunch of options for
Medifast meals and you may well be happy with all of them. Chances are, though, that there will be
some you love and some you hate…limiting your menu in a hurry.
To overcome that limitation, Medifasters (MFers) can “doctor” their meals. Basically, this means
adding various things to your meals to make them tastier. Additionally, there’s quite a bit of playing
that can be done with your Lean and Green meal to achieve different menus and keep things from
getting stale.
First, you should be aware of a few key things that are not discussed in the Medifast Quick Start
Guide:
Shirataki noodles. These are a yam/tofu based pasta-like product. They are not traditional pasta, by
any means, but they will do in a pinch. And Medifasting counts as being in a pinch! You can get
them in some stores (Asian stores seem to have them), but online tends to be only sure fire way to
find them. Some places online:
• http://www.miraclenoodle.com/
• http://www.konjacfoods.com/
The consensus seems to be to stick with the angel hair version. 1 ½ cups of these noodles equals 1
Green.
They have a fishy smell when coming out of the package, so.. rinse and drain them a few times,
microwave for 1 minute, then drain again, or soak up water with a paper towel. You can use them
as noodles or dice them up to make “rice”.
It is, though, advisable to get the trial size and ensure you like them. Many people simply can’t
tolerate the smell and won’t use them.
Walden Farms. This is a company specializing in low (usually zero) calorie/carb items. They can be
found online at http://www.waldenfarms.com/. Not all items are zero cals/carbs, so be mindful of
what you’re getting.
Sugar Free Syrups. There’s a ton of options out there for adding flavor to your foods. Torino and
DaVinci each make a bunch of syrups you can use while on the program. DaVinci can be found at
http://www.davincigourmet.com/products/sugar_free_flavored_syrups/. These are not completely
freebee’s, and should be limited, as per Nutrition Support guidelines, to 4 tablespoons per day.
Butter/Olive Oil Sprays. A wonderful way to add flavor to your food. I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter
spray seems to be a favorite among MFers. NS recommends limiting it to 5 sprays. There’s other
flavored sprays out there, just make sure you’re counting any calories/carbs you’re putting into
your food.
True Lemon/True Lime. A great way to add a citrus flavor to your food with 0 carbs/cals. Visit
http://www.truelemon.com/.
Second, use the support mechanisms available to you. Support in Motion is a great place for you to
track your progress, log the meals you eat, your exercise, weight, measurements, etc. AND IT’S
FREE! Visit www.tsflsupportinmotion.com and sign up.